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Speeding tickets withdrawn after Cumbrian camera does not have annual check

By Phil Coleman

Last updated at 12:37, Tuesday, 06 March 2012

More than 50 Cumbrian motorists who were told they would be fined for speeding have had their penalty notices withdrawn – because the camera which snapped them didn’t have its annual check.

Safety partnership van

One of Cumbria’s four safety camera vans clocked 53 speeding motorists on February 16, say police.

But every one of the £60 penalty notices later issued to the drivers involved has now been cancelled.

Bosses at the Cumbria Safety Camera Partnership admitted this week that the camera involved, which operated in the Dalston area, should have been given its annual checkup by its manufacturer for the information it records to be considered legally valid.

But on the day in question the camera was operating despite being out of date.

One of the lucky motorists who had his fine cancelled after being caught doing 35mph through Dalston village said: “I was thrilled, but it did have a deterrent effect.

Kevin Tea, who manages the partnership, said: “Unfortunately, this happened and was a one-off case of human error – the first time in eight years.”

On the withdrawal of the penalty notices, he said it gave motorists involved a ‘get out of jail free card’.

In 2010, there were more than 33,000 cases spotted by the speed camera vans. The busy A66 – running east to west across Cumbria – was the road on which cameras were most commonly deployed.

Officials said they would continue in their mission to change people’s attitudes towards speeding, encouraging them to drive safely and within the law.